Forum Oscar Poll Results – August 2014: Boyhood Has a Growth Spurt, The Imitation Game is Real

BEST PICTURE

01. Birdman (89%) (July – 86%) (June – 81%) (May – 69%)
01. Boyhood (89%) (July – 41% – NEW)
03. Foxcatcher (87%) (July – 89%) (June – 87%) (May – 78%)
04. Gone Girl (85%) (July – 75%) (June – 81%) (May – 81%)
05. Interstellar (82%) (July – 71%) (June – 75%) (May – 66%)
06. The Imitation Game (75%) (July – 64%) (June – 35%)
07. Unbroken (73%) (July – 80%) (June – 71%) (May – 67%)
08. Selma (69%) (July – 65% – NEW)
09. Inherent Vice (48%) (July – 73%) (June – 73%) (May – 83%)
10. Wild (41%) (July – 39% – NEW)

No new entries in Best Picture for August but a massive jump for Boyhood, which rockets up to a tie for the #1 slot with Birdman. Gone Girl, Interstellar and The Imitation Game also saw double-digit increases month to month. Unbroken and Foxcatcher tumbled a bit but Inherent Vice plummeted.

BEST DIRECTOR

01. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman (85%) (July – 80%) (June – 67%) (May – 59%)
02. Richard Linklater, Boyhood (83%) (July – 39% – NEW)
03. Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher (72%) (July – 78%) (June – 80%) (May – 64%)
04. Ava DuVernay, Selma (50%) (July – 42% – NEW)
05. Christopher Nolan, Interstellar (45%) (July – 23%) (June – 37%)

06. David Fincher, Gone Girl (44%) (July – 49%) (June – 47%) (May – 54%)
07. Angelina Jolie, Unbroken (38%) (July – 65%) (June – 62%) (May – 61%)
08. Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game (37%) (July – 21% – NEW)
09. Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice (19%) (July – 49%) (June – 67%) (May – 67%)
10. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel (5%) (July – 11%) (June – 17%)
10. J.C. Chandor, A Most Violent Year (5% – NEW)

The story here is Boyhood again, with director Richard Linklater vaulting up to the #2 slot. Interstellar‘s Christopher Nolan also makes strides and lands in the top after a low July total. The forums do seem bullish that he’ll finally get that director nomination. He’s got to at some point, right? The Imitation Game‘s Morten Tyldum makes a healthy jump up but still outside the top 5. Look for that to keep increasing in the next month. Faith in Unbroken‘s Angelina Jolie faltered quite a bit from July to August and she finds herself out of the top 5 now. On the other side, Selma‘s Ava DuVernay finds herself in the top 5.

BEST ACTOR

01. Michael Keaton, Birdman (87%) (July – 86%) (June – 78%) (May – 71%)
02. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game (86%) (July – 63%) (June – 44%)
03. Steve Carell, Foxcatcher (83%) (July – 84%) (June – 86%) (May – 81%)
04. David Oyelowo, Selma (62%) (July – 50% – NEW)
05. Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice (44%) (July – 56%) (June – 60%) (May – 61%)

06. Timothy Spall, Mr. Turner (22%) (July – 26%) (June – 45%) (May – 26%)
07. Jack O’Connell, Unbroken (14%) (July – 30%) (June – 27%)
08. Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar (13% – NEW)
08. Channing Tatum, Foxcatcher (13%) (July – 18% – NEW)
10. Bradley Cooper, American Sniper (12% – NEW)

Off the list: Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes; Ben Affleck, Gone Girl

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) hits a high mark this month to land at #2, just a hair behind Michael Keaton in Birdman. Steve Carell has maintained his top 3 consistency since the beginning of the poll and with word that he’ll most likely stay in lead those numbers should stay strong. Even with Inherent Vice‘s numbers falling across the board, Joaquin Phoenix netted enough votes to keep himself in the top 5 and with a wide margin between him and #6 Timothy Spall. A trio of newcomers land in the top 10 in the form of last year’s Best Actor Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar, Channing Tatum in Foxcatcher and two-time nominee Bradley Cooper American Sniper.

BEST ACTRESS

01. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl (85%) (July – 79%) (June – 73% (May – 68%)
01. Reese Witherspoon, Wild (85%) (July – 84%) (June – 78%) (May – 66%)
03. Amy Adams, Big Eyes (80%) (July – 76%) (June – 75%) (May – 81%)
04. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods (63%) (July – 54%) (June – 53%) (May – 36%)
05. Jessica Chastain, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (41%) (July – 35%) (June – 26%)

06. Nicole Kidman, Queen of the Desert (21% – NEW)
07. Shailene Woodley, The Fault in Our Stars (15%) (July – 14% – NEW)
08. Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars (13%) (July – 14%) (June – 15%)
09. Jennifer Aniston, Cake (9% – NEW)
10. Hilary Swank, The Homesman (8% – NEW)

Off the list: Michelle Williams, Suite française; Carey Mulligan, Suffragette

The two frontrunners here, Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Reese Witherspoon (Wild) tie for first place for the first time but it’s Pike that makes the biggest stride to get there. All of the top five increase on last month’s totals, even Amy Adams, whose film has all but disappeared from Best Picture, Best Actor and even the Best Original Screenplay top 5. Three newcomers hit the charts this month; Nicole Kidman in Queen of the Desert (although it’s up in the air if her film will debut in 2014 or not), Jennifer Aniston in Cake and Hilary Swank in The Homesman.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

01. Edward Norton, Birdman (83%) (July – 82%) (June – 78%) (May – 75%)
02. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher (76%) (July – 79%) (June – 77%) (May – 69%)
03. Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice (52%) (July – 56%) (June – 64%) (May – 64%)
04. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (51%) (July – 32%) (June – 38%)
05. Tom Wilkinson, Selma (49%) (July – 29% – NEW)

06. Channing Tatum, Foxcatcher (39%) (July – 53%) (June – 52%) (May – 26%)
07. Neil Patrick Harris, Gone Girl (22%) (July – 28%) (June – 30%)
08. Miyavi (Takamasa Ishihara), Unbroken (21%) (July – 33%) (June – 39%) (May – 39%)
09. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood (13% – NEW)
10. Robert Duvall, The Judge (10% – NEW)

Off the list: Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes; Logan Lerman, Fury

Big jumps for two mean in the top 5; J.K. Simmons in Whiplash and Tom Wilkinson in Selma. The top 3 remain in their positions. Channing Tatum, who saw himself land in the top 5 last month falls just outside of it as we’ve learned that he will probably be pushed for lead in Foxcatcher. Unbroken‘s Miyavi takes another hits and falls but look for one of his co-stars to possibly debut here next month. Newcomers Ethan Hawke and Robert Duvall join the fray this month, we’ll see how long they last.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

01. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (80%) (July – 27% – NEW)
02. Emma Stone, Birdman (65%) (July – 56%) (June – 60%) (May – 57%)
03. Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game (60%) (July – 41%) (June – 21%)
04. Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year (57%) (July – 61%) (June – 60%) (May – 59%)
05. Carmen Ejogo, Selma (51%) (July – 31% – NEW)

06. Laura Dern, Wild (31%) (July – 25%) (June 24%)
07. Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars (24%) (July – 35%) (June – 44%) (May – 16%)
08. Anna Kendrick, Into the Woods (24%) (July – 45%) (June – 60%) (May – 45%)
09. Emily Blunt, Into the Woods (22%) (July – 30%) (June – 28%) (May – 22%)
10. Naomi Watts, St. Vincent (13% – NEW)

Off the list: Viola Davis, Get On Up

The biggest leap of any chart belongs to Patricia Arquette. She goes from the bottom of the pack to #1 in a single month and is part of the groundswell for Boyhood. Birdman‘s Emma Stone makes a big jump to solidify her spot here and Keira Knightley is looking good for her 2nd Oscar nomination with a giant leap into the top 3. Jessica Chastain holds strong and the ladies from Into the Woods fall by the wayside to make room for Selma‘s Carmen Ejogo. Naomi Watts is the only new name this month, cracking the top 10 with St. Vincent.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

01. Gone Girl (88%) (July – 84%) (May – 82%)
02. The Imitation Game (83%) (July – 76%) (May – 45%)
03. Inherent Vice (80%) (July – 79%) (May – 91%)
04. Foxcatcher (76%) (July – 71%) (May – 67%)
05. Unbroken (66%) (July – 76%) (May – 79%)

06. Wild (49%) (July – 53%)
07. Selma (17% – NEW)
07. Whiplash (17%) (July – 13%)
09. Men, Women & Children (5%) (July – 5%)
09. Rosewater (5%) (July – 3%)
09. Trash (5%) (July – 8%)

No change in the top 5, with all screenplays seeing minor increases except Unbroken, which falls 10%. The Imitation Game gains and finds itself in second place. Selma shows up here in a debut mostly because of the lack of assurance on the screenplay being adapted or original. Same goes for Foxcatcher.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

01. Birdman (98%) (July – 95%) (May – 88%)
02. Boyhood (91%) (July – 91%) (May – 28%)
03. The Grand Budapest Hotel (83%) (July – 77%) (May – 67%)
04. Selma (54%) (July – 66% – NEW)
05. Interstellar (50%) (July – 23%)

06. Mr. Turner (46%) (July – 43%) (May – 58%)
07. Foxcatcher (33%) (July – 39%)
08. A Most Violent Year (24%) (July – 39%)
09. Big Eyes (7%) (July – 5%)
10. Maps to the Stars (4% – NEW)
10. While We’re Young (4%) (July – 0%)

The top three keep getting stronger and Selma sees some votes split between adapted and original to take a small hit here. Interstellar makes a big leap into the top 5 this month.

For more categories and to vote yourself, check out the polls in the forums!

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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